KAWS to bring monumental art to New York Botanical Garden in 2027

Internationally acclaimed artist KAWS is set to transform the New York Botanical Garden with a garden-wide takeover from May 22 to October 24, 2027, featuring his signature characters and monumental sculptures spread across the 250-acre landscape in what promises to be a bold intersection of contemporary art and natural beauty.

COMPANION Among The Flora

The sprawling exhibition will showcase KAWS' iconic characters against the lush backdrop of NYBG, with installations likely featuring his most recognizable creations like Companion, BFF, and Chum positioned throughout the gardens. Visitors might find Companion floating on a pond, BFF lurking inside the Victorian-era glasshouse, or Chum lounging on an open lawn, creating unexpected moments where art and nature converge.hypebeast

This exhibition follows in the tradition of previous successful NYBG art installations, most notably Yayoi Kusama's "Cosmic Nature" in 2021, which attracted over 600,000 visitors. As Jennifer Bernstein, CEO and President of NYBG explained, "Our exhibitions illuminate the rich intersection of art and nature, offering visitors new, creative ways to immerse themselves in beautiful botanical experiences, to deepen their appreciation for visual art and design, and to explore the wonders of nature."secretnyc+1

X-Eyed Characters In Nature

KAWS's signature X-eyed creations will take on new meaning amid the botanical splendor of NYBG, creating a thought-provoking dialogue between his melancholic cartoon-inspired figures and the living landscape. His characters, which carry "equal measures of innocence and melancholy," will provide a striking contrast to the natural vitality of the gardens, transforming the space into what NYBG describes as "bold interventions that put the artist's work front and center against the living canvas of the Garden."d5mag+2

The exhibition promises to be "big, loud, and draw legions of fans devoted to the KAWS universe to the Bronx," offering both longtime admirers and newcomers an opportunity to experience his "boundary-defying work within the beauty and complexity of the natural world." This juxtaposition of KAWS's pop art sensibilities with NYBG's ecological setting creates unexpected visual and emotional tensions, where his cartoonish yet somber figures—often posed in "repose or sorrow"—will stand amid the garden's vibrant, thriving plantlife, inviting visitors to contemplate themes of humanity's relationship with nature.hypebeast+2

250-Acre Living Canvas

The New York Botanical Garden offers a spectacular 250-acre backdrop for KAWS's upcoming exhibition, providing a diverse living canvas that spans dramatic rock outcroppings, rolling hills, waterfalls, and ponds in the heart of the Bronx—New York's greenest borough. As the largest botanical garden in any U.S. city, NYBG's National Historic Landmark site features over one million living plants across varied ecosystems, including a 40-acre old-growth forest and a natural section of the Bronx River.wikipedia+2

The Garden's rich landscape includes 50 specialty gardens and collections, highlighted by the award-winning Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden and Native Plant Garden celebrating northeastern North American flora. KAWS's sculptures will be strategically placed throughout these diverse environments, creating unexpected artistic moments among treasured horticultural displays like the landmark Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a Victorian-style glasshouse. This integration of contemporary art with NYBG's ever-changing seasonal beauty continues the Garden's tradition of using its expansive grounds as a platform where art, science, and nature converge to offer visitors immersive botanical experiences.nybg+2